Our episode cover of Sean Penn and
Madonna are pictured in 1990. Sean Justin Penn (born August 17,
1960) is an American actor, filmmaker, and political activist. He
has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama
Mystic River (2003) and the biopic Milk (2008).
Penn began his acting career in
television with a brief appearance in episode 112 of Little House
on the Prairie (December 4, 1974), directed by his father Leo Penn.
Following his film debut in the drama Taps (1981) and a diverse
range of film roles in the 1980s, including Fast Times at Ridgemont
High (1982), Penn garnered critical attention for his roles in the
crime dramas At Close Range (1986), State of Grace (1990), and
Carlito's Way (1993). He became known as a prominent leading actor
with the drama Dead Man Walking (1995), for which he earned his
first Academy Award nomination and the Best Actor Award at the
Berlin Film Festival. Penn received another two Oscar nominations
for Woody Allen's comedy-drama Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and the
drama I Am Sam (2001), before winning his first Academy Award for
Best Actor in 2003 for Mystic River and a second one in 2008 for
Milk. He has also won a Best Actor Award of the Cannes Film
Festival for the Nick Cassavetes-directed She's So Lovely (1997),
and two Best Actor Awards at the Venice Film Festival for the indie
film Hurlyburly (1998) and the drama 21 Grams (2003). Penn made his
feature film directorial debut with The Indian Runner (1991),
followed by the drama film The Crossing Guard (1995) and the
mystery film The Pledge (2001). Penn directed one of the 11
segments of 11'09'01 September 11 (2002), a compilation film made
in response to the September 11 attacks. His fourth feature film,
the biographical drama survival movie Into the Wild (2007),
garnered critical acclaim and two Academy Award nominations. Penn
was born in Santa Monica, California to actor and director Leo
Penn, and actress Eileen Ryan. His older brother is musician
Michael Penn. His younger brother, actor Chris Penn, died in 2006.
His paternal grandparents were Ashkenazi Jewish emigrants from
Lithuania and Russia, while his mother is a Catholic of Irish and
Italian descent. Penn was raised in a secular home and attended
Santa Monica High School. He began making short films with some of
his childhood friends, including actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie
Sheen, who lived near his home. Penn was engaged to actress
Elizabeth McGovern, his co-star in Racing with the Moon (1984). He
met pop singer Madonna in February 1985, and they married that
August on her birthday. The two starred in the panned and
much-derided Shanghai Surprise (1986), directed by Jim Goddard, and
Madonna dedicated her third studio album True Blue (1986) to Penn,
referring to him in the liner notes as "the coolest guy in the
universe". The relationship was marred by violent outbursts against
the press, including one incident when Penn was arrested for
assaulting a photographer on a film set; Penn was sentenced to 60
days in jail in mid-1987, of which he served 33 days. Madonna filed
for divorce in December 1987 but later withdrew the papers, only to
file them again in January 1989. Madonna reportedly filed an
assault complaint that she was beaten in her Malibu, California
home by her estranged husband, but in January 1989, the Associated
Press reported that she had "dropped assault charges." Penn was
alleged to have struck Madonna on multiple occasions, but in 2015
Madonna stated the allegations were "completely outrageous,
malicious, reckless, and false”. At the end of his first marriage,
Penn moved in with actress Robin Wright, and their first child, a
daughter named Dylan Frances, was born April 13, 1991. Their second
child, son Hopper Jack, was born August 6, 1993. Penn and Wright
separated in 1995, during which time he developed a relationship
with Jewel, after he spotted her performing on Late Night with
Conan O'Brien. He invited her to compose a song for his film The
Crossing Guard (1995) and followed her on tour. Penn and Wright
reconciled, married on April 27, 1996, and lived in Ross,
California. The couple filed for divorce in December 2007 but
reconciled several months later, requesting a court dismissal of
their divorce case. In April 2009, Penn filed for legal separation,
only to withdraw the case once again when the couple reconciled in
May. On August 12, 2009, Wright Penn filed for divorce again. The
couple's divorce was finalized on July 22, 2010; the couple reached
a private agreement on child and spousal support, division of
assets, and custody of Hopper, who was almost 17 at the time. In
December 2013, Penn began dating actress Charlize Theron. The two
announced their engagement in December 2014. Theron ended their
relationship in June 2015. Madonna Madonna Louise
Ciccone born August 16, 1958, is an American singer, songwriter,
actress, and businesswoman. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop" since
the 1980s, Madonna is known for pushing the boundaries of lyrical
content in mainstream popular music, as well as visual imagery in
music videos and on stage. She has also frequently reinvented both
her music and image while maintaining autonomy within the recording
industry. Besides sparking controversy, her works have been praised
by music critics. Madonna is often cited as an influence by other
artists. Born and raised in Michigan, Madonna moved to New York
City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing
as a drummer, guitarist and vocalist in the music groups Breakfast
Club and Emmy, Madonna signed with Sire Records in 1982 and
released her eponymous debut album the next year. She followed it
with a series of successful albums, including the global
bestsellers, Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986), as well as
the Grammy Award winners, Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a
Dance Floor (2005). Throughout her career, Madonna has written and
produced most of her songs, with many of them reaching number one
on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't
Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music",
"Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Madonna's popularity was further
enhanced by her roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan
(1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita
(1996). While the latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best
Actress, many of her other films received poor reviews. As a
businesswoman, Madonna founded her own entertainment company
Maverick, including the label Maverick Records, in 1992. Her other
ventures include fashion design, writing children's books, opening
of health clubs, and filmmaking. She has contributed to various
charities and founded the Raising Malawi organization in 2006.
Having sold more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is
recognized as the best-selling female recording artist of all time
by Guinness World Records. The Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) listed her as the second highest-certified female
artist in the U.S., with 64.5 million album units. According
to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo act on its Hot
100 singles chart and second overall behind the Beatles. She is
also the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time, earning
U.S. $1.4 billion from her concert tickets. Inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility,
Madonna topped VH1's countdown of 100 Greatest Women in Music.
Additionally, Rolling Stone listed her among the 100 Greatest
Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest
Songwriters of All Time. Early life and career beginnings
Madonna was born to Catholic parents, Madonna Louise Fortin and
Tony Ciccone, in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958. Her
father's parents were emigrants from Pacentro, Italy, while her
mother was of French-Canadian ancestry. Tony worked as an engineer
designer for Chrysler and General Motors. She has two elder
brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula,
Christopher, and Melanie. Months before her mother died of breast
cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963, Madonna noticed changes in
her behavior and personality, although she did not understand the
reason. Her mother was at a loss to explain her medical condition,
and often began to cry when Madonna questioned her about it.
Madonna later acknowledged that she had not grasped the concept of
her mother dying. Madonna later told Vanity Fair that she saw
herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for
something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about
being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't
wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good
grades. I wanted to be somebody." She attended St. Frederick's and
St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and West Middle School.
Madonna was known for her high grade point average, and achieved
notoriety for her unconventional behavior. She would perform
cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle
by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and pull up her
skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear.
Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School where she became
a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. After
graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the University of
Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and attended the
American Dance Festival over the summer. She convinced her father
to allow her to take ballet lessons and was persuaded by
Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, to pursue a career in dance.
In 1978, she dropped out of college and relocated to New York City.
She had little money and worked as a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts and
with modern dance troupes, taking classes at the Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater and eventually performing with Pear Lang
Dance Theater. Madonna said of her move to New York, "It was the
first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a
taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest
thing I'd ever done." She started to work as a backup dancer for
other established artists. Madonna claimed that during a late night
she was returning from a rehearsal, when a pair of men held her at
knifepoint and forced her to perform fellatio. Madonna later
commented that "the episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed
me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the
strong-girl show. I could never forget it." In 1980 or 1981 she
left Breakfast Club and, with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray as
drummer, formed the band Emmy. The two began writing songs
together, but Madonna later decided to market herself as a solo
act. Her music impressed DJ and record producer Mark Kamins who
arranged a meeting between Madonna and Sire Records founder Seymour
Stein. In 1992, Madonna starred in A League of Their Own as Mae
Mordabito, a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached
number one on the box-office and became the tenth highest-grossing
film of the year in the U.S. She recorded the film's theme song,
"This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth Hot 100
number-one hit, the most by any female artist at the time. The same
year, she founded her own entertainment company, Maverick,
consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film
production company (Maverick Films), and associated music
publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and
merchandising divisions. The deal was a joint venture with Time
Warner and paid Madonna an advance of $60 million. It gave her 20%
royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the
industry at the time, equaled only by Michael Jackson's royalty
rate established a year earlier with Sony. Madonna embarked on The
Girlie Show World Tour, in which she dressed as a whip-cracking
dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed
the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage
among the audience. In March 1994, she appeared as a guest on the
Late Show with David Letterman, using profanity that required
censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her
panties and asking him to smell it. The releases of her sexually
explicit book, album and film, and the aggressive appearance on
Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade.
Critics and fans reacted negatively, who commented that "she had
gone too far" and that her career was over. She later became
romantically involved with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. On
October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, her
daughter with Leon. 2018 In January 2018, Madonna announced on
Instagram that she had started working on her 14th studio album.
Four months later, she appeared at the 2018 Met Gala and performed
a new song called "Beautiful Game", along with "Like a Prayer" and
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Various music journalists, critical
theorists, and authors have deemed Madonna the most influential
female recording artist of all time. The Guinness World Records
acknowledged her as the best-selling female recording artist and
the fourth best-selling act of all time, behind The Beatles, Elvis
Presley, and Michael Jackson. Madonna remains the
highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time. Madonna holds the
record for the most number-ones on all combined Billboard charts,
including twelve number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and
eight number-one albums on the Billboard 200. Links: The Book:
https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The
Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast
on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm
The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com